Jorhat, April 13: Eight years after it was raised, the Assam Tea Plantation Security Force (ATPSF) is struggling to combat the might of militant outfits without the high-tech communication tools considered necessary for such a battle.
The force, raised in 1995 exclusively for the protection of tea garden executives, has been deployed in about 100 tea estates of Upper Assam, Darrang, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur and Silchar. It has 115 platoons, comprising about 3,000 personnel.
An ATPSF platoon commander who wished not to be named told The Telegraph that members of the force, especially those stationed in remote tea gardens, were becoming increasingly vulnerable to attacks by militants.
“We do not have any communication tools — no walkie-talkies or VSF sets…nothing at all. We are easy prey for militants. I would say the protectors now need protection,” he said.
Accusing the government of ignoring repeated pleas by the ATPSF authorities for telecommunication sets, the officer said the force should not be blamed for any untoward incident that might take place in remote gardens.
“Our men are posted in the remotest areas of the state, where militants rule the roost. Should there be an attack, the resistance from our side will be limited as we do not have the tools for communication required to call for reinforcements.”
ATPSF personnel are, however, not short of weapons. The armoury of the force comprises LMGs, SLRs, carbines and 7.6 bolt action rifles.
The platoon commander said weapons were useless, if not backed by adequate manpower and high-tech means of communication. “Moving about with these weapons, without reinforcements at our beck and call, increases the risks manifold. The weapons we carry can easily go into the hands of militants if they launch a planned attack.”
An ATPSF member was killed in an encounter at Sesa in Dibrugarh district on January 21, 2001. The assailants took away his weapon after shooting him dead. “He could have survived the attack had he been carrying a walkie-talkie to keep in touch with his colleagues. He was killed after he ran out of ammunition while battling the militants,” the platoon commander said. An ATPSF constable is paid Rs 40 a day. There are no allowances or special facilities. “If things continue in the same vein, the morale of the force will hit rock bottom,” another officer said.
He warned that disgruntled ATPSF personnel could even desert the force without depositing their service weapons. “Some weapons cost several lakhs of rupees a piece. It would be disastrous for the force if its men flee with the weapons.”
The last batch (6th) of the ATPSF was not trained in the use of sophisticated weapons.